Australian owned & operatedSmall groups, max 12

Tropical Bali Retreats

10 days, 9 nights. Ubud, Munduk, Sidemen. Unhurried, 3 bases.Most popular

The 10-Day Island Loop

Ubud, the cool hills and lakes around Munduk, then the Sidemen valley and the east coast. Three bases, three nights in each, and two full rest days. No early starts unless you want them. This is the one we would pick.

From [[NEEDS INPUT: price]] per person, twin share. Return flights, every stay, every meal, private car and guides included.

Or call [[NEEDS INPUT: phone number]]Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST.

Is this the right trip for you?

This is the trip we would pick, and the one most of our guests do. Ten days, three bases, and three very different parts of Bali. Ubud first, for the temples and the food. Then the cool hills at Munduk, for the lakes, the hot springs and the quietest nights on the island. Then the Sidemen valley and the east coast, for the water palaces and the sea. You unpack three times. Two of the ten days are rest days with nothing scheduled. Flights, every stay, every meal, private cars and guides are all in the one price, in Australian dollars, so the only thing you carry is a water bottle.

Who this trip is for

  • Couples who want to see more than Ubud but don't have three weeks of leave.
  • Anyone who has done the south of Bali before and wants the island the tour buses miss.
  • People who like an unhurried day with one real thing in it, then a long lunch.
  • Travellers on their own who want a small, friendly table at dinner and their own room.
  • Anyone who reads the whole itinerary before booking. This page was written for you.

Who it isn’t for

  • People who want nightlife every night. Munduk and Sidemen go quiet by nine, and that's the point.
  • Anyone who wants to tick off 30 places. We do one proper thing a day and leave room around it.
  • Travellers who need to be on the move all the time. Two of the ten days are rest days, and they stay that way.
  • Anyone who wants to be near the beach every day. The sea is one morning at Amed, and it's optional.

If a week is all the leave you have, look at the 7-day. If you want the islands and a third rest day, the 14-day is the one. Call us and we will tell you honestly which fits.

How much walking is there?

Less than you might think. Here is the honest scale for this trip, the longest walk on it, and how long you are usually on your feet at once.

Pace and mobility

Gentle

Longest walk on this trip:
the 40-minute walk into Sekumpul, optional, with a car waiting for anyone who'd rather not [[NEEDS INPUT: confirm]]
Time on your feet
Most days involve less than 20 minutes on your feet at any one time.

The longest walk on this trip sits on a rest day and is optional. Everything else is flat, paved and short, with a bench or a warung table at the end of it. Where a walk is longer, the car is parked where we started, and anyone who would rather sit has the same view and a coffee.

Day by day

Every day, in the order it happens. Open any day to see the morning, afternoon and evening, what is included, and a note from your host on why we do it that way. Days 6 and 9 are the rest days.

Day 1: Fly in, get met by name, and wake up in Ubud

Tonight’s base: Ubud

Morning

Your flight leaves from your home city this morning or around the middle of the day, depending on where you are flying from. Your welcome pack has the flight details, the name of the guide meeting you, and your host's mobile number, so you know exactly who to look for at the other end. What's served on board is in the welcome pack too.

Afternoon

You land in Denpasar and one of our guides is waiting past customs with a sign that has your name on it. Bags go in the car, a cold bottle of water goes in your hand, and the driving is somebody else's problem. It is about an hour and a half to Ubud, and you can sleep the whole way if you like.

Evening

Check in, unpack once, and come down for a quiet dinner at the hotel with your host and the group. No briefing, no icebreakers, no early start tomorrow. Bed when you feel like it.

Included today

  • Return flights
  • Airport meet and greet
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
Nobody plans anything on day one. You've just done a long flight and a customs queue. The only job tonight is a good meal and a good sleep, and I'd rather you spent the first morning in Bali at the breakfast table than at a temple.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 2: Ubud's morning market, a warung lunch, and a dance under the palace lanterns

Tonight’s base: Ubud

Morning

Breakfast whenever you want it. At about 8:30 the guide walks anyone who is interested through the produce end of Ubud's market, before the souvenir stalls open and the crowds arrive. It is 20 minutes on flat ground with plenty of stopping. You'll learn what half the things on your dinner plate actually are.

Afternoon

Lunch at a family warung the host has eaten at for years, then the afternoon is yours. Pool, nap, a wander along the lane outside the hotel, or a first look at the shops with the guide if you'd like company. The car is at the hotel all afternoon if you want to go anywhere.

Evening

Dinner in town, then a Legong dance at the Ubud palace at 7:30. We reserve seats near the front. It runs about an hour and a half, and the car is parked close by for anyone who would rather leave at the interval.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Dance tickets
The market at 8:30 is a different place from the market at 11. Same stalls, a tenth of the people, and the stallholders have time to talk. That's the version worth seeing.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 3: Tirta Empul before the buses, then a long lunch and nothing much

Tonight’s base: Ubud

Morning

We leave the hotel at 7:00 and are at Tirta Empul by 7:30, an hour before the first tour buses. Sarongs are hired for you at the gate. You can go into the water for the blessing or watch from the side with a coffee. It is about 400 metres of walking on paved paths, with a few shallow steps down to the pools.

Afternoon

A long lunch at a warung overlooking the rice terraces near Tampaksiring, then back to Ubud by about 2:00. The rest of the afternoon is free. This is a good day for the pool.

Evening

Dinner at a restaurant in Ubud with the whole group. Early night if you want one; the drive north tomorrow is a slow one and we don't leave until after breakfast.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Entry fees
  • Sarong hire
We go to Tirta Empul at 7:30, an hour before the buses. You'll have the water almost to yourself. By 9:30 there's a queue at every spout and the feeling is gone.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 4: North through Jatiluwih to the lakes, and a new base in Munduk

Tonight’s base: Munduk

Morning

Bags outside your door by 9:00 and the hotel does the rest. We drive north for about an hour and a half to the rice terraces at Jatiluwih. There is a flat, paved path along the top of the terraces. Walk five minutes of it or 25, then sit down.

Afternoon

Lunch on a terrace above the rice, then about an hour more in the car, past the twin lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan, to Munduk in the hills. We stop at the lookout above the lakes for ten minutes if the cloud lets us. You are at the new hotel by mid-afternoon with time to unpack.

Evening

It is cooler up here in the evenings, which is a relief after Ubud. Dinner is at the hotel. Bring a light jumper down with you.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Entry fees
Most tours do Jatiluwih as a photo stop and drive on. We stop for lunch, because the point of the place is to sit in it for an hour, not to photograph it and leave.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 5: Banjar hot springs and the hilltop monastery, then home for the sunset

Tonight’s base: Munduk

Morning

Breakfast, then about an hour down the hill to the hot springs at Banjar. The pools are warm, shallow and stepped, with handrails. We go mid-morning on a weekday, when it is mostly local families. An hour in the water, then a shower and dry clothes.

Afternoon

Ten minutes up the road is Brahmavihara-Arama, the Buddhist monastery on the hill. It is quiet, tiled and shaded, with about 300 metres of paths and a lot of places to sit. Lunch at a warung on the north coast afterwards, then the car brings you back up to Munduk by about 3:00.

Evening

Free. The sun goes down at about 6:15 up here and it is worth being outside for. Dinner at the hotel.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Entry fees
  • Sarong hire
Hot springs on a weekday morning are the most relaxed hour of the whole trip. On a Sunday afternoon they're a public pool. The day of the week matters more than the place.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 6: Rest day in the hills, with Sekumpul at 7am for anyone who wants it

Tonight’s base: Munduk

Morning

Nothing is planned. This is the first of the two proper rest days. The one exception is for anyone who wants it: a 7:00 departure for the Sekumpul waterfalls, about an hour away. It is a 40-minute walk down into the valley and back up, with steps, and we do it before anyone else is awake. The car waits at the top with cold water for anyone who changes their mind halfway. Everyone else sleeps in.

Afternoon

The walkers are back by about 11:00. Lunch is at the hotel. Your included spa treatment is today, at whatever time you book with the guide at breakfast. Otherwise, the hammock, the pool, a book, or a slow wander along the village road with the guide.

Evening

Dinner at the hotel. If the group feels like it, the guide will talk you through what is on the table and where it came from.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Spa treatment
  • Entry fees
Sekumpul is the longest walk on the trip and it's entirely optional. Half the group usually goes. The other half have a better morning than they'd admit.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 7: Down the mountain and across the island to the Sidemen valley

Tonight’s base: Sidemen

Morning

A slow breakfast and a 9:30 departure. Today is the longest drive of the trip, about three hours in total, so we break it in two. The first half winds down past the lakes and through the cool country around Bedugul.

Afternoon

Lunch about halfway at a family warung we've used for years, then the second half across the island to the Sidemen valley. You'll see Mount Agung get bigger for the last hour. Check in mid-afternoon, unpack for the last time, and stand on your terrace for a bit.

Evening

Dinner at the hotel. Nothing else. Tomorrow starts early for the water palaces, but only by about half an hour.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
Three hours in a car is three hours. I won't dress it up. What I can do is make sure it's an air-conditioned car, a good road, a proper lunch in the middle, and a view at the end that makes the drive worth it.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 8: The water palaces of Karangasem, then lunch by the sea

Tonight’s base: Sidemen

Morning

We leave at 7:30 and are at Tirta Gangga, the old royal water palace, by about 8:30, well before the coaches. Fountains, carp ponds, stepping stones you can cross or skip, and a lot of benches. The walking is flat and paved, well under a kilometre if you see all of it, with a bench whenever you want one. By 9:30 we are back in the car, just as the first coaches pull in.

Afternoon

Twenty minutes on to Taman Ujung, the second water palace, right by the sea. The gardens are flat, wide and mostly shaded, with benches every 50 metres or so. There is one set of steps up to the pavilion for the view, and it is optional. Lunch at a warung on the water nearby, then about an hour back to the valley by 2:30.

Evening

Free, then dinner at the hotel. This is the fullest day of the trip and it is done by mid-afternoon.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Entry fees
  • Sarong hire
Two water palaces in one morning sounds like a lot. They're 20 minutes apart, they're flat, and there's a bench every time you want one. It's the pace that makes it work, not the distance.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 9: Rest day in the valley, or Amed from the shore if you'd rather

Tonight’s base: Sidemen

Morning

The second proper rest day. Nothing is planned in the valley. For anyone who wants the sea, the car leaves at 8:30 for Amed, about an hour and a half away. The snorkelling at Jemeluk is straight off the beach, in calm, shallow water, with a guide in the water with you and a shaded table on the sand for anyone who would rather watch with a coffee. Masks and fins are included.

Afternoon

The Amed group has lunch on the beach and comes home by about 2:30, with an optional 20-minute stop on the way at Tenganan, one of the oldest villages in Bali, which is one flat lane end to end. Back in the valley, lunch is at the hotel and the afternoon is yours. The guide can walk anyone interested along the flat track through the rice terraces below the hotel, about 20 minutes, whenever the light is nice.

Evening

The last dinner. We do it as one long table, and your host will tell you honestly which bit of the trip he'd do again tomorrow.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Private car
  • Guide
  • Snorkel gear
  • Entry fees
You can snorkel at Amed without being a swimmer. It's waist-deep off the sand, the guide is beside you, and the fish come to you. If you'd rather not, the valley is the better rest day anyway.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Day 10: One last breakfast, then home

Tonight’s base: Home

Morning

Breakfast, a last look at the mountain, and bags outside the door. The drive to the airport is about two hours, and we time it to your flight with a comfortable margin. Your guide and host see you through check-in and say goodbye at security.

Afternoon

Your flight home. The 24/7 support line stays open until you are through the door at home, in case anything comes up on the way.

Evening

Arrive home this evening or overnight, depending on your city. We'll email you the group photos once everyone is home.

Included today

  • Breakfast
  • Return flights
  • Private car
  • Guide
The last morning is the one people rush, and there's no reason to. The car leaves when it needs to, and not a minute earlier. Sit with the mountain a bit longer.

[[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]]

Where you'll stay

Three bases, three unpackings, three nights in each. All chosen for quiet nights, a pool you will actually use, and an honest note on steps and lifts.

  • [[NEEDS INPUT: property name — 10-day-island-loop, base 1]]

    • 4-star
    • Ubud
    • 3 nights

    A 4-star riverside retreat about ten minutes from the centre of Ubud, quiet at night, with a pool you'll actually use. Close enough to walk into town for a coffee, far enough that you don't hear the scooters. We chose it for the breakfast and the staff, who remember your name by the second morning.

    Getting around: Ground-floor rooms and a lift to the restaurant level, with a short paved path between the rooms and the pool [[NEEDS INPUT: confirm with property]].

  • [[NEEDS INPUT: property name — 10-day-island-loop, base 2]]

    • 4-star
    • Munduk
    • 3 nights

    A small 4-star hillside lodge in the clove and coffee country above the lakes, where the evenings are cool enough for a jumper and the view from the verandah is the reason you came north. Family-run, big rooms, and a terrace restaurant that faces the sunset. We chose it because it is the quietest three nights on the island.

    Getting around: Rooms on one level with a few steps between the terraces and a handrail on every set; the car drops you at the door [[NEEDS INPUT: confirm with property]].

  • [[NEEDS INPUT: property name — 10-day-island-loop, base 3]]

    • 4-star
    • Sidemen
    • 3 nights

    A 4-star valley retreat in the rice terraces below Mount Agung, with the mountain in front of your room and nothing between you and it but fields. There is a pool, a kitchen that cooks from the village, and no traffic noise at all. We chose it because it is where our guests tell us they wished they'd stayed longer.

    Getting around: Ground-floor rooms available and a level path from the rooms to the restaurant and pool; some rooms have a few steps to the terrace [[NEEDS INPUT: confirm with property]].

The only money you'll take out of your pocket is for a Bintang and a souvenir.

What's included

  • Return flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide
  • All accommodation, 4–5 star
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day
  • All private air-conditioned transport
  • Airport meet & greet, by name, with a sign
  • Every entry fee, donation, sarong hire and parking fee
  • Local guides throughout
  • Your Australian host, with you the whole trip
  • Bottled water, always
  • 24/7 support line in Australia and Bali

What's not

  • Travel insurance (compulsory — we'll help you choose)
  • Visa on arrival, approx [[NEEDS INPUT: current visa on arrival cost]]
  • Alcohol and personal spending
  • Spa treatments beyond the included one
  • Souvenirs

Pricing for The 10-Day Island Loop

Australian dollars. Return flights, every stay, every meal, private transport and guides are in the price.

Per person, twin share
[[NEEDS INPUT: price]]
Single supplement
[[NEEDS INPUT: single supplement]]
Child rate
[[NEEDS INPUT: child rate by age bracket]]
Deposit
$500 per person
Payment plan
[[NEEDS INPUT: payment plan terms]]
What the deposit secures
Your seat on the flight, your room at every stay, and your place in a group of no more than 12.

A $500 deposit secures your spot. Fully refundable for 14 days, no questions.

Full change and cancellation terms are on our Terms and Booking Conditions page. Every departure is listed on Dates and Prices.

Dates for this trip

Every departure for the 10-Day Island Loop, with what is left on each. If a date is sold out we say so. If you cannot see a date that works, ask us for the next ones.

[[NEEDS INPUT: replace sample departures in src/content/departures.ts with real dates]]

Departures for The 10-Day Island Loop
Departure dateReturn dateDeparting fromSpots leftEnquire
SydneySold out
MelbourneSold out
Perth4 spots leftEnquire about The 10-Day Island Loop departing Sun 20 June 2027 from Perth
AdelaideAvailableEnquire about The 10-Day Island Loop departing Sun 22 Aug 2027 from Adelaide
Brisbane2 spots leftEnquire about The 10-Day Island Loop departing Sun 12 Sept 2027 from Brisbane

From guests who did the loop

What people say about the 10-Day Island Loop, and about the things they were worried about before they came.

  • We booked the ten-day trip for our anniversary. Coffee on the verandah in Sidemen at sunrise was the best morning of it, and we didn't have to lift a finger to get there.

    [[NEEDS INPUT: real guest name and initial]]

    [[NEEDS INPUT: hometown, state]]

    Draft until verified

  • On walking too far and holding the group up

    I walk with a stick and I was sure I'd be the one holding everyone up. Not once. There was always a car close by, always a seat in the shade, and nobody ever looked at their watch.

    [[NEEDS INPUT: real guest name and initial]]

    [[NEEDS INPUT: hometown, state]]

    Draft until verified

  • On having to organise everything

    I didn't look at a map, a menu or a receipt for ten days. I'd forgotten what that felt like.

    [[NEEDS INPUT: real guest name and initial]]

    [[NEEDS INPUT: hometown, state]]

    Draft until verified

Questions about the 10-Day Island Loop

The things people ask before they book this trip in particular. The full FAQ covers everything else.

Why is the 10-day the trip you'd pick?

Because it is long enough to get out of the tourist south and short enough that you don't need three weeks of leave. Seven days gives you Ubud and the coast. Fourteen gives you the whole island and a boat trip. Ten gives you the three parts of Bali we think matter most, with three nights in each, so you unpack three times and never feel like you're in transit. It also has two proper rest days, which the 7-day can't afford. If you're choosing between this and the 7-day and the leave is there, take this one.

How much driving is there between the bases?

Three moving days out of ten. Airport to Ubud is about an hour and a half. Ubud to Munduk is about two and a half hours, split by a long lunch at Jatiluwih. Munduk to Sidemen is the big one, about three hours, and we break it in the middle for lunch. Day trips from each base are mostly under an hour each way. The cars are private, air-conditioned and never full, so you have room to stretch out, and we stop whenever anyone wants to. You never drive.

Is the Sekumpul walk really optional? What do I do if I skip it?

Completely optional, and it sits on a rest day for exactly that reason. It is the longest walk on the trip: about 40 minutes down into the valley and back up, with steps, done at 7am before the heat and the crowds. The car waits at the top the whole time, so you can turn around at any point. If you skip it, you sleep in, have breakfast whenever you like, and the day carries on as a rest day with your spa treatment and the hammock. Nobody is waiting on you and nothing is missed.

What are the rest days actually like?

Empty, on purpose. Day 6 in Munduk and Day 9 in Sidemen have nothing scheduled. Breakfast runs late, lunch is at the hotel, and the car and the guide are there if you want a small outing, but nothing happens unless you ask for it. Each rest day has one optional extra for the people who get restless: Sekumpul on Day 6, and the sea at Amed on Day 9. Roughly half the group takes them. The other half tell us the rest day was their favourite.

Can I do the Amed snorkel if I'm not a strong swimmer?

Yes. The bay at Jemeluk is calm and shallow, and the coral starts a few metres off the sand in water you can stand up in. A guide is in the water with you the whole time, and you can be back on your towel in 30 seconds. Masks and fins are included. If you don't want to go in at all, there is a shaded table on the sand, a coffee, and a very good view of everyone else.

Is it cold in Munduk?

Cooler, not cold. Munduk sits in the hills above the lakes, and evenings there feel like a mild Australian autumn rather than the tropics. It is a welcome change after Ubud. Pack one light jumper or cardigan and a pair of long trousers for the three evenings, and you'll be comfortable. Days are still warm. The rest of the trip is the usual Bali: warm, humid, and a light rain shower now and then in the shoulder months.

Ask us about this trip

Tell us who is coming and roughly when. It goes straight to your host, not a call centre, and you will get a straight answer about whether this is the right trip.

Name and email are the two we need to reply. The rest helps us give you a straight answer first time.

Optional. Handy if you’d rather we rang you.

Adults, and children with their ages. For example: 2 adults, 2 kids (6 and 9).

Mobility, dietary needs, who’s celebrating what. Anything at all.

No call centre and no mailing list. Your enquiry goes straight to [[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]], who reads every one.

Not sure which trip suits you?

Have a real conversation with [[NEEDS INPUT: founder first name]] — no sales pitch, no obligation. Tell him who’s coming and what you’re after, and he’ll tell you honestly which package fits, or whether now’s the wrong time of year.

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Before you go, take the itinerary pack with you

It’s a 20-page PDF with all three day-by-day itineraries, real pricing, a packing list, and 12 places in Bali the tour buses never reach. Read it over a cuppa. No obligation.

Or read what’s in the pack first.